


Paving Over Soft Spots (With Concrete and Denial)

by Rellanka



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Denial of Feelings, Hopeful Ending, Klaus Deserves All the Love in the World, M/M, Pining, V-shaped polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 04:38:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18024836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka
Summary: Diego isn't in denial ofanything.He's not, alright?Luckily, Ben isn't anidiot.





	Paving Over Soft Spots (With Concrete and Denial)

His soft spot for Klaus had never really been easy to spot. Luthor’s soft spot for Allison- **that** anyone could see from miles away. The not-so-secret secret of Umbrella Academy. It was only thanks to dear old Dad’s money that the public wasn’t made aware of it- at least overtly aware over and beyond the public’s guess work- by some intrepid reporter. 

Up until Vanya wrote her book, that is. 

When the novel came out, and he had seen everything she had written, Diego could not express in words just how glad he was that she was never really the sibling that he confided in. Especially his- not feelings damnit, they were **not** feelings- his _preoccupation_ with Klaus. 

Not that his soft spot was that hard to hide, in the end. To everyone else, Diego was just barely kinder to Klaus than the rest of them were, just barely more likely to help him out when he needed it. Diego hid it well by outwardly treating Klaus with the same disregard the others showed him. If Diego tended to gravitate to Klaus’ side when he entered a room, if he sat closer to him than he would anyone else in the family, if he watched him more than he did the others; well, his harsh words made it clear that he didn’t really like Klaus, and the way he nearly always avoided looking at him where anyone else could see covered up any other hint. 

The thing of it is is that he never quite managed to hide it all the way from **Klaus**. He knew he didn’t. Even when Diego was at his most unkind, Klaus still sought him out for help. Because Klaus knew- **he knew** \- that Diego had a hard time saying no to him. He knew that if it was a reasonable request that Diego would be more than likely to agree to it, no matter what else he was preoccupied with at the time. So after they lost Ben- the first person Klaus would have turned to for help when they were kids- whenever Klaus needed something- really needed it- he went to Diego. 

But now the apocalypse had been just barely stopped, with the unexpected perk of getting Ben back in the process, and Diego- Diego felt unmoored when Klaus went right back to turning to Ben for everything. 

He couldn’t express how much he really hated the- God fucking damnit- the _jealousy_ that was tainting his otherwise ecstatic happiness over the fact that Ben was alive again. 

Diego loved his brother. He loved all of his family a lot more than he would ever admit, really. He would never, **ever** be sorry that Ben was back, **never** wish that he would be gone again. 

But that didn’t stop the small, terrible part of him that raged while witnessing Klaus sprawl over Ben, touching every bit of the other boy that he could. That grumbled at the way that it was impossible to pry Klaus away from Ben’s side; and just as impossible to pry **Ben** away from Klaus. That ached from the way Klaus barely looked at Diego anymore, too busy fixing his eyes on Ben- especially when Ben was interacting with the physical world, touching it and moving it and making it obvious that he was alive in it. That twisted enviously over the way that Ben was just as desperate in his actions, just as openly determined to stay by Klaus’ side. 

If Diego’s soft spot for Klaus was easily hidden, than Ben’s soft spot for Klaus was its opposite, so visible and obvious it made **Luthor** look subtle. It wasn’t a surprise that Klaus would latch onto that, would turn from Diego to Ben when it was so obvious that Ben would do his damn best to give Klaus the world. The only thing that would ever stop Ben from it would be if doing so would hurt Klaus; everything else, including the opinions of the people occupying the world, just wouldn’t matter to him. 

A part of Diego; a hidden, strangled part, could sympathize with that. That part secretly wanted to give Klaus the world just as badly. But Diego would not- could not- acknowledge that part. It was the same part that wanted to yank Klaus out of Ben’s arms into his own. The same part he could never act on.

Just like he couldn’t keep staring at Klaus and Ben, currently tangled up in a shameless heap on the couch, without making something of the way he was currently feeling obvious. 

Diego turned away, ready to act like none of the past few minutes had happened, that he hadn’t been standing there so obviously staring, when Ben called out to him softly.

He turned back to find Ben watching him, awake, apparently, while Klaus slept in his arms. The familiar exasperated look that was usually in his eyes when he regarded his other siblings was there now, and Diego knew that he wasn’t likely to like what Ben was going to say. 

“He talks about you, you know.” It hadn’t been what Diego was expecting, and he clenched his fists even as he continued to listen, “And he worries. He doesn’t know why you’ve been avoiding us, all he knows is that you’ve done your damn best not to be in a room with us. He thinks it’s his fault. He misses you. He’s worried that you might leave him again, and he doesn’t know if he’ll get you back this time.” Ben said softly, holding Diego’s gaze with his own.

Diego winced during the speech, at the reminder of the time when he left, the time when he cut Klaus out of his life. When he cut everyone out, really, but Klaus had been the hardest. It didn’t matter how many times he excused that over being worried that Klaus might overdose while he wasn’t there; he knew it was just a cover up. That worry was present, always, but it had been more than that.

The hardest thing had been that Diego had missed Klaus, too. 

More than anything.

Still- “He has you there to keep him company.” Diego said gruffly. His tone revealed more than he probably should, but he couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop himself from saying it.

Ben rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling like he was asking why he was being put through this before countering unexpectedly, “Yeah, and I’m willing to share, dipshit.”

Every part of Diego froze. Ben couldn’t- he couldn’t _possibly_ -

Ben brought his head back down to regard him with a wry smile, “I mean it.” He confirmed shamelessly, “Klaus-“ he paused to run his hand through Klaus’ hair, “Klaus may be a selfish, crazy bastard, that at times acts like he only cares about himself, but… he’s also incredibly loving, and loyal, and stronger than he knows. Even when he was still turning to drugs to drown out his powers, he was trying his best to help his family; trying harder than some of the rest of you were, sometimes. He didn’t give up on you guys, even when you were busy giving up on him. He loves- he loves deeply, and he’s so fucking desperate for someone to just love him back in the same way.”

Ben paused again to press a kiss against Klaus’ forehead. “And he deserves it. He deserves all the love in the world. So if you stop being such a repressed prick and just admit that you’re in love with him, I’m willing to share. But only if you’re not going to be a dick about it.” 

Diego managed to unfreeze and started to stammer out a response- and for once it was good that his words weren’t coming out right, because he didn’t know how he wanted to respond to that. But before he could get his response out completely, Ben stopped him.

“No. Not right now. Go to your room, or out to train, or something. Think about it. **Really** think about it. Then give me your response, and we’ll talk it over.”

It was a dismissal. It was such an obvious dismissal that usually it would ruffle Diego’s feathers, would make him lash out and stay just for the principle of it. 

But this time he turned on his heels and fled the room like the hounds of hell were chasing him. Grateful, so grateful, for the out.

Ben had just blown through his denial like it was a piece of tissue paper, just offered Diego something he wanted with every single part of himself. 

The offer had filled Diego with crushing fear, and desperate want, and he didn’t know which one would win. Didn’t know which would influence his response.

(But, in the deepest part of him, he hoped it was the latter.)

**Author's Note:**

> Lol, is it obvious I love Klaus a lot? He deserves it.
> 
> This is sometime after the apocalypse but left purposefully ambiguous where they are to hopefully be able to keep at least partially with Season 2 canon.


End file.
